Recently in Celebrity couples Category

by Lynn Hayes

Nicole Kidman has had her share of bad relationships, and her very public and humiliating split from Tom Cruise just as the prenup was set to expire brought her millions of new fans and revitalized her film career. Since the breakup she has had a few high profile romances, but now seems to be settling down with Keith Urban, a fellow Australian country singer. News of wedding dates have come and gone, but the intensely private actress does not seem to be getting closer to the wedding aisle, and rumors are floating about of Keith Urban's inability to commit. Will they make it?

When looking at relationship compatibility, sun signs tell only a very small part of the story, they can't be relied upon but they are a good place to begin. Nicole is a Gemini, with Keith a Scorpio. This makes their general natures very different. Nicole has a lighter and more flexible nature; Geminis easily take on personas and lifestyles, and are generally facile actors for this reason. Nicole's Moon is in Sagittarius, showing that her emotional nature is generally optimistic - she believes that life has abundant possibilities and it's hard to keep her down for long. Mars in her chart is in Libra, the sign of relationships. With Mars (her drive) in Libra, she is very motivated to please others and she is likely the one to bend in order to meet the needs of the relationship.

Keith is a Scorpio, with a much more intense nature, and his Mercury and Neptune are also in Scorpio. Scorpios are passionate about everything they do, and because Scorpio is a fixed sign their natures tend to be more entrenched and unflexible. We don't know where his Moon falls because we don't know his time of birth, but I suspect that it is in Leo, giving him a secret inner drive for fame and recognition. Keith has Mars in Capricorn, the sign of material success. He is driven (Mars) to achieve (Capricorn), and his Mars is both trined by Jupiter, expanding his sense of possibility, and squared by Saturn, causing frustration as Saturn puts the brakes on that drive. To make things more complicated for him, Saturn in his chart is retrograde (appearing to move backwards) and the negative voice of Saturn is turned inwards in self-critical thinking. Because so much of a man's self-image is tied up in his work, this that Keith puts on himself to achieve success is going to color any relationship that he is in. Keith had a spell of alcohol and cocaine addiction while he was climbing his way to the top--apparently his intensity was too much for him.

Nicole's Venus is in Leo, indicating that she is big hearted and generous (Leo) when it comes to her relationships (Venus), and Venus in her chart is in stable Saturn. She is capable of great fidelity and tenacity when it comes to those she loves. Keith's Venus is in Virgo, which is much more cautious and conservative when it comes to expressions of love. Keith's Venus also conjuncts Pluto, showing a powerful fear of rejection or annhilation (Pluto) through relationships. This can make it difficult to feel safe in relationships, putting pressure on the individual who feels they need to escape the pressure.

Keith is definitely a much more complicated person than Nicole, and he has a well-documented history of cocaine and alcohol abuse. Nicole's chart is much less complicated and perhaps like many women she sees a temptation to rescue Keith from his emotional issues and addiction. Nicole and Keith have a possible Moon connection if Keith's moon does fall in Leo, harmonizing nicely with Nicole's Sagittarius moon and showing an emotional connection and sense of bonding. Nicole's Cancer Mercury and Keith's Scorpio Mercury are both in water signs, showing that they will have success in communicating. Nicole's Libra Mars and Keith's Capricorn Mars are square to each other, indicating conflicts and arguments as well as sexual incompatibilities.

Overall, these two are very different in their natures and while that is exciting during the initial phases of a relationship, it is hard for two such different people to maintain closeness over the long term of a settled, living together marriage and partnership. This is a relationship that can last in a long-distance situation but marriage would be very difficult.

Nicole is undergoing planetary cycles right now (involving Jupiter, Pluto and Saturn) that show a focus on moving forward in her life. Keith is beginning a harmonious cycle of Jupiter to Venus that could bring a period of ease into his relationship life, with a simultaneous transit of Pluto (transformation) to Chiron that could bring great healing along with great pain, as Chiron heals through the exposure of our deepest wounds. Scorpios typically have great emotional courage, and if Keith is able to walk through the fire of his painful history this could be a tremendous time of healing and growth for him. If he is not, he will run to escape the pressure, and the relationship will not last until summer.

Kate, played by Evangeline Lilly, is one of my favorite characters on Lost, the fabulous ABC-TV program. Aside from her obvious beauty, she has a lovely androgynous quality that combines toughness with a sweet vulnerability. In my article The Astrology of Lost Kate is represented as a Gemini, with Charlie (Dominic Monaghan's character) as a Pisces. I was curious to see not only how their relationship worked, but also wondered how closely their actual birthcharts reflect their character's personas and took a look at their charts.

Evangeline Lilly is Leo, and her Sun is conjunct Mercury (Gemini's ruler) which adds the Gemini flavor to her personality that we have seen. Dominic Monaghan is a Sagittarius, and her Sun is conjunct Neptune (Pisces' ruler), adding that misty Piscean flavor. Obviously on a television program we only get a view of the actor's persona and rarely see behind the surface at their real personality. That is why astrology can be so much fun!

Evangeline Lilly was apparently married in 2003 when the Lost program began shooting, and separated from her husband during the last two years as her relationships with Dominic Monaghan intensified. Evi's chart reveals her to be rather similar to her Lost character - she has an unaspected Mars in Gemini, adding to her mercurial qualities. Mars in Gemini doesn't like to be pinned down to anything; Gemini needs a variety of experiences - the "experience guzzler" as described by my friend Steve Forrest. When Mars makes no major aspects to other planets in a chart, it shows someone who is more comfortable operating independently than in tandemn with others. Evi has four planets in Leo, including Jupiter, Sun, Mercury and Venus, so she is very playful with a great love for life. Leo loves sports as well, and pursuits of physical prowess. Evangeline's chart also shows Uranus (independence, autonomy) in stressful aspect to her Sun/Jupiter conjunction, indicating that she has a fierce desire for independence and does not like to be tied down. Her chart is predominantly fire and air which provides inspiration and energy in a fairly combustible combination, and lacks the earth and water which would ground her and give her a practicality which she lacks. She also has Mercury retrograde in her chart, which can make it more difficult to communicate with others.

Dominic Monaghan (who also played a hobbit in the Lord of the Rings trilogy) also has a fair amount of fire and freedom in his chart: he's a triple Sagittarius, with Sun, Neptune and Mars all in Sag. Sagittarians are famous for their need for the freedom required to stay on a perpetual quest for meaning in life. However, Dom is more grounded in his nature than Evi is - his chart shows Mercury and Venus both in responsible Capricorn, showing that he is a detailed and goal-oriented (Capricorn) thinker (Mercury) and committed (Capricorn) in his relationships (Venus). Saturn also makes a trine (harmonious) aspect to his Sagittarian planets, giving him a strong sense of achievement and grounding his naturally fiery nature. Additionally, Saturn is retrograde in his chart, showing someone who can be overly self-critical and excessively responsible. Chiron (wounded healer) in his chart is in conflict with Venus, showing that relationships in his life have caused him pain that necessitates healing and personal growth.

The overall impression that comes from these charts is that Evangeline is truly a free spirit and may have difficulty committing to personal relationships, whereas Dominic has what the Jungians call a "puer/senex" dilemma. In the Puer/Senex dilemma, there is a conflict between the senex, or old man (Capricorn and Saturn) --a part of ourselves that internalizes responsibility and lives within the limitations of daily life -- and the puer, or young man--(in this case, Sagittarius) the part that wants to be free of those responsibilities and live a charmed and unlimited life.

Most of us have some conflict or another within us, and often we manage these conflicts by internalizing one side of the conflict and projecting the other. So with the Puer/Senex conflict, we may be the responsible one who is jealous of the free spirit partner, or we may be the one always fleeing in a relationship with someone who is more committed than we are. Commonly, we switch roles from one relationship to the next, but either way the relationship won't function well until we internalize BOTH ends of the conflict that lies within us, and learn to play both roles ourselves.

Comparing the charts of the two, there is obviously a lot of fiery attraction with Dominic's Mars trine Evangeline's Leo stellium, and there are a number of positive Jupiter contacts between their chart that indicate good fortune and a general feeling of well-being between them. There are also several Uranus contacts that show lots of excitement and a powerful attraction that is nearly instantaneous. However, Dominic's Saturn (responsibility) is square to Evangeline's Uranus (freedom), showing that she is likely to feel constrained by him. For someone with her intense need for freedom, this could be difficult unless they are able to communicate their needs with each other and allow their differences to blossom within the relationship.

Evi has probably had a rough time over the past few months with the Grand Cross planets of this winter rolling over her Sun and Saturn in the process of retrograding to come back across her Sun later this year. During transits of Saturn we naturally seek stability and security, and it's not surprising to hear an engagement announcement during times like this. For Dominic, Neptune is transiting Saturn in his chart, a time when we sometimes question (Neptune) the structures that we've built in our life (Saturn) and desire something more real.

The key to their relationship will be keeping it fresh and exciting, honoring each other's differences and avoiding the tendency to slip into habits that breed boredom. I certainly wish them all the best!
Note: Lilly and Monaghan broke up after this article was written.